Notes

top 10 running backs for fantasy that jakob will think about picking up. 1. LE'VEON BELL RB, Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell, who topped 2,000 total yards this season, will be just 23 years old at the start of next season. He is the engine of the Pittsburgh offense. 2. EDDIE LACY RB, Green Bay Packers After a slow start, Lacy finished as fantasy’s No. 6 running back in 2014. Next year could be even better. 3. JAMAAL CHARLES RB, Kansas City Chiefs The mileage concerns are real with Charles, but he was the top-scoring back in fantasy leagues from Week 4 through Week 14 this year. He’ll remain the Chiefs’ workhorse. 4. MARSHAWN LYNCH RB, Seattle Seahawks There may not be a player with a higher floor than Lynch. He has four straight seasons with at least 1,200 rushing yards, 1,400 total yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s obviously better off remaining in Seattle. 5. DEMARCO MURRAY RB, Dallas Cowboys Murray takes a bit of a tumble because he could be on a different team next season. As great as he was in 2014, the Dallas offensive line deserves its share of the credit. 6. ADRIAN PETERSON RB, Minnesota Vikings This might seem somewhat high after not playing last season, but the bet here is that Peterson makes a very strong return in 2015, no matter where he’s playing. 7. MATT FORTE RB, Chicago Bears Forte remains one of the most versatile backs in the league, but the loss of Marc Trestman is notable for him. Forte averaged 1,889.5 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns per season with Trestman on the sidelines for Chicago. 8. LESEAN MCCOY RB, Philadelphia Eagles McCoy was a huge bust in 2014, and he may never reclaim his 2013 swagger. He lost the touches at the goal line and in the passing game this season that he had in his monster year. 9. ARIAN FOSTER RB, Houston Texans
Foster defied the critics this season, finishing third among running backs in fantasy points per game behind DeMarco Murray and Le’Veon Bell. Having said that, he missed three games. Injuries will always loom over him. 10. C.J. ANDERSONRB, Denver Broncos Anderson starred in the second half of the season, but there’s no guarantee he enters 2015 as the starter. Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman will almost certainly be in the mix. top 10 Wide Recievers for fantasy that jakob will think about picking up. 1. DEMARYIUS THOMAS WR, Denver Broncos Thomas has averaged 99 catches, 1,494.3 yards and 11.7 touchdowns per year in three seasons with Peyton Manning at the helm in Denver. So long as Manning holds up for another season, Thomas will be back up in the stratosphere. 2. DEZ BRYANT WR, Dallas Cowboys Bryant set a career best with 16 touchdowns this year. He has three consecutive seasons with at least 1,200 yards and 12 scores. At 26 years old, he’s just entering his prime. 3. ANTONIO BROWN WR, Pittsburgh Steelers The most consistent receiver on the planet, Brown’s worst game in 2014 saw him catch eight passes for 74 yards. In two seasons as Ben Roethlisberger’s top target, he’s averaging 119.5 receptions, 1,598.5 yards and 10.5 touchdowns. 4. CALVIN JOHNSON WR, Detroit Lions Johnson is still a monster on a per-game basis, but he has missed five games over the last two seasons. That slides him behind Thomas, Bryant and Brown on the wide receiver board. 5. JORDY NELSON WR, Green Bay Packers There are perks to being Aaron Rodgers’ No. 1 receiver, but Nelson is every bit the elite receiver you think he is. His penchant for the big play (five catches of 60-plus yards) can win weeks single-handedly. 6. ULIO JONES WR, Atlanta Falcons Jones is always a threat to be the top receiver in the league, but his occasional inconsistency has him in the middle of the second round. If not for a late-season hip injury, he may have led the NFL in receiving yards. 7. A.J. GREEN WR, Cincinnati Bengals He may not seem as exciting as the receivers ranked ahead of him, but Green is a safe bet to be a WR1 and a top-15 or 20 flex player. 8. T.Y. HILTON WR, Indianapolis Colts We’d like to see more in the touchdown department (seven scores in 2014), but Hilton is unquestionably Andrew Luck’s top receiver. He has had at least 130 targets in each of the last two seasons and set a career high this year with 1,345 yards. 9. JEREMY MACLIN WR, Philadelphia Eagles Maclin bounced back from an ACL tear in 2013 to have the best season of his career. The unrestricted free agent’s fantasy value would most likely take a hit if he left Philadelphia. 10. ALSHON JEFFERY WR, Chicago Bears Despite the circus surrounding him in Chicago, Jeffery still had 85 catches for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns. Even with Brandon Marshall in town, Jeffery is the team’s top receiver. top 10 quater backs for fantasy that jakob will think about picking up. 1. AARON RODGERS QB, Green Bay Packers Rodgers proved himself the best quarterback, from both a real-life and fantasy standpoint, in the league this season. Keeping Randall Cobb would be huge for him. 2. ANDREW LUCK QB, Indianapolis Colts Luck was the No. 1 fantasy quarterback by a comfortable margin in 2014, outscoring Aaron Rodgers by nearly 10 points in standard-scoring leagues. His remarkable consistency was even better for his owners than his sheer point totals. 3. DREW BREES QB, New Orleans Saints
Brees was actually a bit of a disappointment this season, ranking fifth among quarterbacks after carrying the third-highest average draft position. The 17 interceptions were troubling, but he remains a top-tier quarterback. 4. RUSSELL WILSONQB, Seattle Seahawks Wilson rode his legs nearly all the way to the top of the quarterback rankings, as he ran for 849 yards and six scores. If the Seahawks get him a top-flight receiver, the sky is the limit. 5. BEN ROETHLISBERGER QB, Pittsburgh Steelers Roethlisberger finished as fantasy’s No. 6 quarterback, but that standing was a bit inflated by his pair of six-touchdown games. He has one of the best collections of weapons in the league at his disposal. 6. TOM BRADY QB, New England Patriots
Brady shook off a slow start to finish as fantasy’s seventh-best quarterback. As long as Gronkowski is healthy, he’ll be a surefire QB1 next season. 7. PEYTON MANNING QB, Denver Broncos Might we have finally seen the beginning of the end for Manning in 2014? He seemed to show his age the last month of the regular season. This is a ranking we’ll undoubtedly revisit many times next summer. 8. MATT RYAN QB, Atlanta Falcons Ryan’s performance stalled in the middle of the season, but his final numbers were strong. He threw for 4,694 yards and 28 touchdowns against 14 interceptions while completing two-thirds of his passes. 9. MATTHEW STAFFORD QB, Detroit Lions Stafford entered 2014 as the fourth-ranked quarterback by average draft position and finished it as fantasy’s No. 15 signal caller. He’s not worthy of consideration any earlier than this stage of the draft. 10. CAM NEWTON QB, Carolina Panthers Newton was a minor disappointment in 2014, but he finished the season as the No. 8 quarterback in points per game. His budding connection with Kelvin Benjamin could have him back near the top five in 2015.